The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing waste fluid that drains onto the floor of an operating room during a surgical procedure. More particularly, the invention relates to a disposable, handle-manipulated suction head that can be used with suction sources commonly found in surgical operating rooms.
During the course of a surgical procedure, especially those using arthroscopy, a fluid (such as saline) is supplied to the surgical site as a distension medium for the joint. Distension of the joint is necessary to prevent infection through an influx of airborne pathogens. Also, a steady flow of fluid past the surgical site clears blood, synovial fluid and other debris from the joint improving visibility through the arthroscopic lens. These waste fluids fall constantly to the floor during the surgery. This waste fluid, if permitted to accumulate on the floor, presents a safety hazard for operating room personnel in that they are likely to slip and fall. Also, surgical room personnel run the risk of infection from contact with the blood and synovial fluid cleared from the joint that has collected on the floor.
One attempt at solving this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,679,590 and 4,729,404. These patents disclose a rubber mat having a plurality of channels for receiving and directing the hazardous fluid. The mats are adapted for placement beneath a surgical site in sealed engagement with the floor. The top surface of the mat is configured as multiple inverted pyramidal elements for collecting waste fluid and directing it to a drain hole on the bottom side of the mat. The bottom side of the mat is provided with flow channels that converge to a common suction port that can be connected to wall-mounted suction ports commonly available in surgical operating rooms. The suction delivers the recovered waste fluid to a canister for disposal.
Although the suction mat arrangement described above is capable of removing waste fluid that falls on the mat, it cannot drain the rather significant amount of waste fluid that does not fall on it and results in a slip and fall hazard. During arthroscopic surgery the sterile fluid delivered to the surgical site is often delivered at relatively high pressures making it difficult for surgical personnel to anticipate the spray pattern of the waste fluid and place the mat in a position where it will capture all of the waste fluid that falls to the floor. Also, the mat has a relatively fixed arrangement that is hard to lift and place in a different position if the site of spillage changes.
Another approach has included the use of some commercially available vacuum cleaners that are connected to their own waste collection chamber and suction source. The suction heads on the commercially available vacuum cleaners may be manipulated to access a wide area of the floor. A problem with commercially available vacuum cleaners, however, is that the suction head must be held at the correct angle to suction the waste fluid effectively and therefore must be attended constantly. Further, these vacuum cleaners and their suction source and waste collection chamber are typically large and bulky, which restricts the movement of surgical personnel and distracts them from their surgical duties. Also, the motor for generating the suction source is loud and inhibits verbal communication between surgical room personnel. The prior art has also noted that conventional vacuum cleaners are not suitable for use in an operating room because the vacuum cleaner requires constant attention to be effective and are otherwise unsuitable for operating room conditions.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,014,389 and 5,032,184 to Ogilvie et al. disclose another approach to collecting waste fluids that fall to the floor of the operating room. These Ogilvie patents disclose a method for aspirating waste fluids from a surgical operating room utilizing a suction head without a handle. Instead, the Ogilvie suction head slides along a floor in response to translation forces applied by the foot of operating room personnel. There are several drawbacks to this foot positioned suction head. The foot positioning of this suction head requires the operating room personnel to place their leg and foot in the flow of the falling waste fluid. This places the personnel at an increased risk of contracting a viral or bacterial infection from blood-borne pathogens. The effective range and accuracy of foot positioning is limited by the personnels reach and any attempt at gaining extra range with one or both feet on a slippery surface poses a further slip-and-fall hazard. Additionally, the lack of a handle on this suction head makes it difficult the lift from the floor for movement to separate puddles without contaminating the hands of the operator. Dragging the suction head from one puddle to the next only results in smearing of the first puddle and further contamination of the floor. Another drawback of the Ogilvie suction head is that it has a large contact surface on its bottom that makes it difficult to translate the suction head across the floor. The large contact area and the suction forces result in a significant amount of friction between the bottom of the suction head and the floor causing the suction head to stick to the floor. The suction head's tendency to stick to the floor also makes it difficult to lift from the floor for movement over the top of the various cords, feet and other obstacles encountered in the operating room.